Cartridge/cassette storage apparatus

Abstract

A storage apparatus for holding containers such as those in which compact discs or tape cassettes are stored. The storage device of this invention includes a bottom member, a top member that is spaced from the bottom member, and a pair of side wails used to couple the top member to the bottom member. A retaining member with a number of downwardly extending flexible fingers is attached to the bottom surface of the top member. The flexible fingers extend downward and are dimensioned so that the distance between the surface of the bottom member and the fingers is less than the height of the containers that the device is intended to store. The bottom member is formed with a main surface directed toward the rear of the device and is formed with small ribs and a smooth surface that slopes downwardly from the main surface toward the front edge of the device. The storage apparatus is dimensioned such that the front ends of the containers which it is designed to hold extend out in front of the apparatus. When a container is inserted in the storage device of this invention, the container is prevented from sliding by either adjacent containers and/or the edges of one or more of the adjacent fingers. The container is removed by pushing downward on the exposed outer corner of the container. This motion causes the container to pivot outward away from the device where it can then be grabbed and pulled away.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 
     
       1. A storage device for holding articles, said storage device comprising: a bottom member having a front edge, a rear edge, and a main surface and a forward surface between said edges, rearward portions of the articles resting only on said main surface when held by the storage device, wherein said bottom member forward surface forms an acute angle with a horizontal plane defined by said main surface;   at least two side walls that extend upwardly from said bottom member;   a top member attached to said side walls and positioned opposite said bottom member and having a front edge and a rear edge; and   a set of aligned, spaced-apart, retaining fingers attached to said top member, each of which is arranged in a front-to-rear orientation across said top member said fingers being upwardly movable, said fingers providing stability to the articles when held vertically in said storage device, each of said retaining fingers flexing away from adjacent retaining fingers when one of the articles is placed beneath it so that the container is secured in place between said adjacent retaining fingers.   
     
     
       2. The storage device of claim 1, wherein said retaining fingers are attached to a common retaining member attached to said top member. 
     
     
       3. The storage device of claim 2, wherein said fingers extend from adjacent said top member front edge toward said top member rear edge. 
     
     
       4. The storage device of claim 1, wherein said bottom member forward surface is a smooth surface and said bottom member main surface is formed with ridges that extend front to rear across said surface, said ridges being arranged and configured to not project between adjacent articles when the articles are in said storage device. 
     
     
       5. The storage device of claim 1, wherein said bottom member is formed with a stop rib that extends along said bottom member rear edge. 
     
     
       6. A storage device for holding a plurality of substantially equally sized objects, said storage device comprising: a plurality of individual object storage containers having predetermined height, length, and width;   a bottom member having a front edge and a rear edge and a main surface between said edges on which the storage containers rest and wherein the width of said main surface is less than the length of the storage containers so that the storage containers extend forward of the main surface;   at least two sidewalls that extend upward from said bottom member;   a top member attached to said sidewalls and spaced above said bottom member having a front edge and a rear edge wherein said top member is dimensioned to have a front-to-rear width less than the length of the storage containers; and   a set of aligned, spaced-apart, biased retaining elements attached to said top member, each of which is arranged in a front-to-rear orientation across said top member and is dimensioned to have a combined element and interelement width substantially equal to the width of a storage container and is positioned to have a vertical separation between said retaining elements and said bottom member less than the height of the storage containers so that, when a storage container is inserted between one of said retaining elements and said bottom member, said one retaining element flexes away from adjacent retaining elements so that the container is secured in place between said adjacent retaining elements.   
     
     
       7. The storage device of claim 6, wherein said retaining elements are attached to a common retaining member attached to said top member. 
     
     
       8. The storage device of claim 7, wherein said retaining member extends approximately between said sidewalls and is adjacent said top member front edge and said retaining elements are flexible fingers that extend from said retaining member toward said top member rear edge. 
     
     
       9. The storage device of claim 6, wherein said bottom member main surface extends from a point approximately halfway between said bottom member front edge and said bottom member rear edge toward said bottom member rear edge, and said bottom member is further provided with a front surface that extends downwardly from said main surface toward said bottom member front edge. 
     
     
       10. The storage device of claim 8, wherein said bottom member main surface extends from a point approximately halfway between said bottom member front edge and said bottom member rear edge toward said bottom member rear edge, and said bottom member is further provided with a front surface that extends downwardly from said main surface toward said bottom member front edge. 
     
     
       11. The storage device of claim 9, wherein said bottom member front surface is a smooth surface and said bottom member main surface is formed with ridges that extend front to rear across said surface, the interridge width being less than the width of the storage containers. 
     
     
       12. The storage device of claim 6, wherein said bottom member is formed with a stop rib that extends along said bottom member rear edge.